Rotary cultivator



Feb 1954 J. SEVERANCE ROTARY CULTIVATOR Filed NOV. 14, 1947 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR SEVERANCE ATTORNEY Patented Feb( 16, 1954 UNITEDT E Joe; Severance; .-Eden; Idahosassignorof, one-halt;tdRobertQ-Chattin, Boise, Idaho AppllcatiomNovemBer 14, 1947; Serial Noi7863031 1. Claim.v (01. 97-4815) My'invention relates toagriculturalmachinem and more particularly to a mulching appliance:

The. object of: my' invention isto provide a mulching appliance. adapted1701 be. remevably at tached directly to a. tractor; or to the frameofa. cultivator secured. on a tractor;

Another obj ect of: my-inventiorr is: to... provide a mulching applianceof: the: character indicatedabove having a plurality of. setsrof.mulching; blades mounted on a commonrotatably supportedv shaft extendingtransversely" of-the. tractor, the several sets of mulcln'ng, blades.being: arranged in, spaced relation to, each; other tez straddleatherows of beans orthe. like to bacultiyatedi A further objectof myinvention: is to -providea mulching applianceof the character indicatedabove; the blades of theseveral. sets of which are adapted to break uplumpsof: wet-ground and the like into fine.:particles;;and;to: movesaidparticles to cover and killzthe weeds-:in therows of beans and. theliketo be cultivated.

A still further object of my invention is to providea mulchingappliancerof the character indicated above; the: blades of eachrsetofwhich are adapted to be adjusted, so that seed rows planted at narroweror wider distance fromv each other may be cultivated" with-thermilching:,device according to my invention;

Other objects of the present inventioni'notspecifically mentioned" mayappear: in;,the following specification. describing my" invention with:refereneeto the. accompanying drawings illustrating preferredembodiments of my" invention:

It is, however to be understood that myinventi'onis not to be limited"or restricted to thegexact construction and combination of partsdescribed in, the specification and shown i-h the drawings, but thatsuch changes andmodifications can be made, which fall within the scopeof the claim appended hereto.

In the several figures of the drawings similar parts are indicated bysimilar reference characters and wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational side view of a tractor equipped with amulching device according to my invention.

Figure 2 is an elevational front view of Figure 1, parts being brokenaway to show the mulching device according to my invention.

Figure 3 is an elevational front view of two adjacent sets of mulchingblades mounted on the common drive shaft.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a top planview of the assembled Q. sets of: mulching bladeson the common-shaft and the frame supporting thes assembly.

Figure-'6 is a sectiona-E view taken on line t fi of- Figure 3.

Figure '7 isza top:pla-mvievwofraaamodified form of two sets of mulchingblades. r I

Figure 8 is azsectionali.detail view '01": Flgure 'l and Figure a is-anelevational front view of." two adj acent sets of mulchingibladbsimounted on tlie common drive shaft;.similar tmFigure tl but-showing inbrokenlines the dievice in adjusted position.

The-mulching device formingsthe subject mate ter of my inventioncomprises am elongatednrec tangulari frame lit detachablyse'curedi-toabut tivator frame I lremovabltnattachedltc aiporti'cn: I2 of theframeof a tractor'a A hearing tram-e l 3 is:secured tcand extendsdownwardlyfrom each transverse:- end member of the frame It: and on the:lower end of eaclr bearing frame l3- a roller bearing-"I15 onithelike isprovided,-"-inwhich: a transverse! shatt ti: rotatabl'y arrangedi: Thisshaft extends overrthe: entire lengthof the elongated rectangular l0-.

A- plurality 'ot sets :6 of! mulching bladesal his; adjustably securedonto the :commorn shat. 4.116;. and eachset b er mulching-:hladesuliltconsists; of aninner disk 18'; two outer .1disks: .l 9;. and a pluralityof mulching: bladesilfli-piyotaillyi 11101111113 ed on the irmerandz-outer disksilai andr-lfl rei spectively. The diameter of theinner:disksei's; larger than-thediametemofi theouterr'disksa The edge--of the innen disk I is: beveled-: towardrzbdthz sides, and the e'dgesofeach-ioutendiskaareabeveledi toincline outwardlyandl at. such; anglesthat" the mulching blades -l 'll- 1ieifia.t1$r-0n the cirminree.ferential edge surfaces of the disks when a set b is assembled bysecuring each blade I! on the disks by bolts 20 extending through theblade adjacent the ends thereof and engaging the disks by entering themfrom their edge. The blades are arranged at equal distances from eachother around the disks. Each inner disk I8 is provided with a key-way 2|and a plurality of corresponding key-ways 22 is arranged in the commonshaft [6 at desired predetermined distances from each other. The innerdisks l8 are mounted on the common shaft by driving a key 23 into thekey-way 22 of the shaft and the key-ways 2|. Each outer disk l9 has acentrally located outwardly extending hub 24 thereon and the commonshaft It extends centrally through said disks and their hubs. Each outerdisk is secured in position on the common shaft It by a heavy set screw25 in the corresponding hub 24, engaging the shaft. The distance betweenthe inner and the outer disk of each mulching blade set b may beadjusted by loosening the set screws 25 and rotating the outer disks ISin the same direction, so that the mulching blades 17 are pivoted aboutthe bolts 20, shortening or lengthening the distance between the innerand outer disks of each set D and adjusting the distance between theouter disks of adjacent sets b. As shown in the drawing on each end ofthe common shaft I6 a half of a mulching blade set I) is mounted, sothat the larger inner disk H3 is located on the outside of the set andthe blades ll of these sets slant inwardly.

A comparatively large sprocket gear 26 is rigidly mounted on the rearaxle 21 of the tractor a and a comparatively small sprocket gear 28 isrigidly mounted on the common shaft 66. A sprocket chain 29 is trainedover these two sprocket gears. The common shaft i6 and the sets I) ofthe mulching blades I! are driven by the tractor a through this sprockettransmission. The width of the mulching blade sets I) are adjusted asdescribed above so that the several sets straddle the rows of beans orother planted seeds to be cultivated.

When the tractor a is driven, conventional cultivator tools 30 securedon the cultivator frame ll operate in the usual manner, and the sets 1')of mulching blades I! are rotated at a comparatively high speed, so thatthey break up clods of dirt or the like. The arrangement of the bladesenables the latter to urge the broken up dirt laterally from the innerdisks E8 of said sets toward the plant rows between them to cover andkill any weeds starting to grow there.

A U-shaped scraper 3| is secured to the vertical leg 32 of an angularlybent bracket plate 33 secured between the cultivator frame 1 i and theelongated rectangular frame It, supporting the mulching blade sets b.There is one scraper 3| for every set of mulching blades, and thesescrapers are arranged so that they follow the mulching,

blades and smooth the ground behind them. In this manner the field isleft in a smooth clean condition between the seed rows, and the singlemulching blade sets I) on the sides of the frame Iii work one half ofthe space adjacent to the outer cultivated seeded rows. The other halfof this space is worked during the return trip of the tractor a.

In Figures 7 and 8 a modified form or the mulching blade set isillustrated. This set comprises two end disks 34. Each end disk isprovided with a centrally located, outwardly extending hub 35. Eachmulching blade 36 of this set 0 consists of two halves abutting eachother and connected with each other by means of hinge 31. Adjacent thefree end of each blade half, another hinge is mounted with one of itsfree ends secured to the inside surface of one of the disks 34. Theblades are mounted in this manner on said disks at equal distances fromeach other. Each disk 34 is provided with a central opening 39 extendingthrough the disk and the hub 35 thereon. The assembled mulching bladesets 0 are mounted on a common shaft 39, equivalent to the abovedescribed common shaft 16, and are secured thereon by means of setscrews 6! extending through the walls of the hubs 35. The overall widthof the mulching blade sets or is adjusted by loosening the set screws4!, arranging the disks 3 3 at the desired distance from each other andsecuring them in these positions by tightening the set screws again. Bymoving the end disks 34 of a blade set 0 toward or away from each otherthe blade halves are arranged at different angles to each other.

Having described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

A mulching device, comprising a plurality of mulching sets carried upona rotatable common shaft, said mulching sets being spaced along saidshaft to straddle a series of crop rows, each said set being ofsuhicient length to span the width between adjacent crop rows and eachincluding a plurality of blades secured to the peripheries of an innerand two outer disks, said inner disk having a larger diameter than saidouter disks to dispose said blades at an oblique angle to said shaft,the peripheries of said disks being beveled and said blades beingarranged to lie flat therealong so as to incline from the inner disktoward the outer disks, each said outer disk being adjustably mountedupon said shaft for movement relative thereto.

J OE SEVE'RANCE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 527,302 Usry Oct. 9, 1894 555,760 Cobb Mar. 3, 1896 719,898Spitzenburg Feb. 3, 1993 1,225,547 Willson May 8, 1917 1,644,449Rodriquez Oct. 4, 1927 1,760,882 Morrow June 3, 1930 1,836,666 KatzfeyDec. 15, 1931 1,843,095 Urschell Jan. 26, 1932 1,880,113 Smith Sept. 27,1932 2,232,523 Gray Feb. 18, 1941 2,317,188 Hanson Apr. 20, 19432,364,043 Ariens Dec. 5, 1944

